Humanity
by Blade of AwE
Summary: Finished: They say that you can turn, but they said nothing about turning back... A Hunter on the prowl finds something that brings out his humanity: a lonely Witch. They develop feelings for one another, and something unexpected happens. HunterxWitch
1. A Hunter and A Witch

**A/N Hello! Welcome to my L4D story! It's gonna be amazing! Nothing I really have to tell you about, just enjoy!**

Chapter 1:  
I growl lightly, to warn the common that I get first prey. If there are any. My claws scrape the pavement as I crawl around. A common sneers at me, cockily. I slash it across the chest before it is able to attack. It falls, limp and lifeless to the ground. I grin, and suppress a laugh. Something brings me back to my senses. Gunshots. I tilt my head upwards, and listen intensely. The gunshots are fired by frantic shouting.

"-It's over here-! Shit, Witch!" A masculine voice shouts. I snicker at the survivor, who is about to be mauled by something more powerful then a Tank. A Witch. Those idiots don't stand a chance.

"Go around 'er!" Another voice says. I frown. I was hoping that they'd stumble upon her, she'd kill one of them, and then flee. Which would mean I'd get to eat. Suddenly, heavy footsteps sound from behind me. I turn to see Smoker standing before me. I shake my head and move quicker, so he won't be able to catch up to me.

I hop over a car, and flashlights are shone in front of me. I look at the survivors, two male and two female. One of the men is limping, and this one is wearing dark, tight jeans with a black jacket. The other man seems to be in his forties, and he holds his arm, which is bleeding through his blue shirt. His jogging pants are ripped, probably from someone like me. One girl carries the other, who is unconscious. The flashlights are shone in my face before I can get a good look at the women. The old man raises his gun and pulls the trigger.

Nothing happens. The other two attempt to shoot me, but again, nothing. I grin. The old man approaches me quickly, and I pounce him. I dig my claws into his chest, and begin to rip the cloth and skin away. Blood splatters onto the ground. I look up to see the girl rushing towards me. The other man stops her and they begin to flee. Good. Smoker hops onto the car behind me, and I notice his tongue fly forward. It misses. I bring my face into the neck of the survivor, and take a large bite of the skin.

I pull the flesh out, and the man screams in pain. I feel... remorse. I don't know why. I am just trying to feed myself. Smoker will probably split some with me. But I get most of him. A few minutes of slashing, and the man's heart stops beating.

I close my eyes, and fight off any dread or guilt I might feel. Smoker walks away for a moment, and I do what I always do after killing someone. I feel where my heart would be, and then where this man's heart is. It's my way of showing respect. I barely remember anything from my life before, but I remember something about some sort of native tribe showing respect with ceremonies to show they didn't kill an animal out of anger, or hatred, but survival. If I could live without eating humans, I would. This is the first emotion most zombies don't have; guilt. I can't say I like the feeling. As Smoker leans down and feels the wrist of the human, I listen for the sobs of the Witch. It sounds like a survivor, no doubt. It's a wonder any survivors are still alive, thanks to her. I grin. Smoker rises.

"He's dead." His voice is raspy, and makes me shiver.

"I figured when I ripped open his chest cavities." I hate my voice even more than his. I can't remember what it used to be like, but I imagine it was better than this. I don't really even speak. I growl, screech and hiss. But, at least I can speak. Most of, the others, can't speak, or speak very poorly. Smoker and I are the most intelligent infected in the area. Most human. Smoker takes it as a curse, but I take it as a blessing. To be human. Smoker takes the man's body in his arms, and lugs it over his shoulder. I know where to meet him. I know where we will feed. For now, I am curious. Without a word, I stalk the crying. My eyes can see through the dense darkness that falls over the city at night. I approach a building. This building is the source of the crying. I nudge the door open. It creaks lightly, and the sobbing ceases. I growl. The sobbing continues, but this time stronger. I move ever so slightly towards it. The sobbing is behind a door, and it gets heavier as I move along. The wooden floor creaks underneath my weight. I put my arm out to open the door. As it falls open, I notice the red hair and eyes immediately. She covers her face and sobs even louder.

"P-please, leave me alone..." She says. I am taken aback by this. She can speak, like me.

"I'm not going to hurt you..." I growl. She looks over at me, but then turns back into her palms.

"What do you want?" She asks, almost angrily. The answer is obvious. I'm curious. About her. Without thinking, I lower my hood, something I've never done in front of another Infected.

"I don't know." I answer, bluntly. She pulls away from her hands and looks at me, silencing her crying.

"Then why come?" She asks. I look down at the ground beneath my feet. I shrug lightly.

"I don't know." I say again.

"What _do_ you know?" She snaps. I look up at her with a confused look. She seems pissed.

"Look, I'm trying to be... friendly," I begin, "but you're making me change my mind!" I turn to leave, but she stops me.

"Wait!" She calls. I grit my teeth and turn. She no longer seems angry. She seems sad.

"What?" I snap.

"You want to be my... friend?" I roll my eyes.

"Sure, why not." I say. I turn my head out the door, and peer at the windows. The sun is now coming up. I notion for her to follow.

"I have food." I explain. She nods and stands. I feel ridiculous crawling around, now. I stand straight up, and find she is as tall as me. I take my hood and put it back up, and head out the door. She follows behind me, but more slowly. I sigh.

"Get on my back." I order. She looks at me strangely.

"Why?" She asks.

"It'd be faster." I say. She is testing my patience. I might just ditch her soon. Hesitantly, she wraps her arms around my neck, and I jump out the door. A few minutes of jumping high and far, we make it to the dank sewers that I call my den. I open the sewer grate, and she slides off my back. I jump down the hole into the large, circular room, with placid and vile water in the centre of the room. The walkways around the edges hold the others. I found this when the infection had first started. At first, I was hesitant to share it with any other Infected. But they eased their ways in. Charger sat numbly off to the side, with Spitter and Jockey. Boomer was off somewhere, hopefully being attacked by survivors, and Smoker was watching the others, making sure no one would take our food. A few commons sat in the water, either puking or just standing still. I guide Witch over to Smoker, and motion for her to sit. Smoker looks oddly at her.

"What is she doing here?" He asks, almost upset.

"I brought her here, Smoker. Is there something wrong with that?" I snap. He raises his hands in defense.

"No! I was just wondering what one of the two would want in our 'home'!" He says. The two refers to Tanks and Witches, the two most powerful Infected among us all. Witch looks up at me, a hint of sadness twinkling in her eye.

"She can have my share." I tell Smoker. He looks at me in surprise.

"Your share? You took this guy down, shouldn't you get at least a few bites?" He asks, as though I'm insane. I find it ironic, because I am insane. All of us are. I shake my head.

"No. I'm not all that hungry right now." He shakes his head and mutters a few things, before splitting some of the man up and giving it to her. I walk away from the two, disgusted by our ways of life. I climb back up the ladder to the surface. I close the sewer grate and take a seat next to it. The sky above is pink, and the direct sunrise has an orange glow. _It's beautiful_, a voice says. I stand, and look around. None are around to have said that. Then who did? _No one said it. You thought it_, the voice says again. I narrow my eyes, confused. _I am you_, it says a final time, before dispersing from my thoughts. The voice was me? No. That voice was too calm. Too... Human. I sit once more, and hear the dazed footsteps of commons walking around. I turn my head to see some of them, just walking. How do they live so brain dead? I know the infection was to cause everything it infected to become bloodthirsty monsters, and attack all around them that either pose a threat or look like something edible.

But why am I not like that? Why is it that the others down in the sewers are all helpless, and stupid, while Smoker, Witch and I have free wills? Why are we so special? I shake my head, the thought going with it. I just gaze into the morning sun, thinking about plenty of things. I hear the sewer grate open, and half expect for Smoker to rise from it with some meat leftover. I turn my head to see Witch, standing above me. She sits next to me, and follows my gaze. She doesn't cry, or even sniffle. She is calm. We are calm. I don't feel the bloodlust and adrenaline running through my veins as I normally do. I like it better this way. It gives me time to relax, and think. She leans her head on my shoulder, and I shift uneasily. Do I feel... nervous? No. That's a human emotion. I am not a human.

"It's beautiful." She says. I turn my head to look at her. Her eyes meet mine.

"You think so?" I ask. She nods. I turn my head back at the sunrise.

"Do you?" She asks me. It takes me a moment to answer.

"I do. I sit and watch it every morning." I lie. It's not an entire lie. I do sometimes stare at the sun while it makes it's first hours trekking through the sky. I just don't do it like this. I usually watch it cautioussly, warning myself that my eyesight will weaken if I don't hurry up and catch something to eat. I feel her hands beside my face, and I shiver. I feel my hood fall off, and her gaze on the cut on my left cheek. I can tell my eyes are bloodshot, and a bright shade of red. They always are. I remember something from my life as a human, at least. I had green eyes. My hair falls over my forehead, and I feel her gaze shift to the few strands of it sticking up at the back of my head. I continue to watch as the sun rises, but it looks as though it will never reach anywhere above where it is now. I groan and my head falls back. I look at her. Her eyes aren't like a regular Witch's. Instead of blank, yellow eyes, she has bloodred ones, like me. I don't know anybody else in the sewer to be like me. They all have either white or yellow eyes. Then again, her and I are very different from the rest. Suddenly, my stomach feels weird. Not like I'm about to puke, but it feels like it is full of some sort of insect, just fluttering about wildly. I look away, hoping that this feeling would end. Sure enough, it does a few minutes later. Why does she give me this weird... tingling? It feels awful. I've never felt like that before. Or... maybe I have. Just, not as a zombie. I push the thoughts away, and continue to stare, uncomfortably, at the sun.

**A/N What did you think? Pretty awesome, right? Feedback is accepted, and so are questions!**

**So long, and thanks for all the fish.**


	2. Tighter Bonds

**A/N I meant to post this chapter earlier, but I forgot. So, sorry. **

Chapter 2

A week later, Smoker has gone with a few others to hunt for more food. We hardly ever get survivor, so we're probably going to be stuck eating squirrels, or rats or something. Witch snuggles into my shoulder, and I hear a faint purr escape her. I suppress a laugh, but a smile breaks across my lips. She notices, and she begins to giggle.  
We've become... closer, in the past week. I feel more comfortable showing my face around her, and she doesn't cry around me. We are each other's saviors in a way.I don't hunt unless she does. She doesn't hunt unless I do. We're pretty much inseparable. That was not the only change I've noticed though. I've noticed I've gained more... human-like attributes. It is strange, and I haven't told anybody. Not even Smoker or Witch. I lean my head against the brick wall and smile.  
I've noticed somethings have changed in her, too. She gets cold. Only humans get cold. But every time the thought springs to my mind that we're human, I am always reassured by the other Infected, as they don't charge us. And, the fact that there is no cure. No way to turn back. Her giggle subsides, and her breaths steady as she falls asleep... Wait.

Falls asleep?

I look at her. Her eyes are closed, and a smile is spread across her face. I raise my hand and wave it in front of her eyes. Nothing. Her senses are dimmed. That's not good. I look around, to make sure no one noticed. It doesn't really matter though, if they saw. Smoker is the only person besides Witch and I to be able to piece together the clues. And he's gone. I stand and lift her up. My right arm under her knees, and my left arm hugging her into my chest. She sighs and cuddles into me. When I reach the ladder, I jump straight up, launching the sewer grate up with me.  
I land on the surface concrete and immediately my gaze is torn upward. Blocking out the stars, and hurtling down towards me, is the sewer grate. It falls back into place with a loud crash, and I shudder. I look down at Witch, who is still sound asleep. I run towards the first house I see, and bash through the door. I place her down on the couch where she can't be heard if Smoker comes back. I sit down next to her, and rest her head on my knee. Without thinking, I begin to stroke her hair. She giggles a bit and I lean forward to look at her.

"Um... What are you doing?" She asks. Her smile is thicker. I quickly put my hand into my sweater pocket.

"No, it's fine! I like it." She tells me. I, hesitantly, begin to stroke her hair again.

"You were sleeping." I blurt out. She looks up at me.

"So?" She asks. I take my hood off, and look her in the eyes.

"We can't sleep!" I growl. She shakes her head.

"Try. We can do it. It's wonderful!" She suggests. I grin and shake my head as though she's crazy.

"Alright. I'll try to sleep." I tell her. She smiles and taps the spot on the couch next to her.

"Lying down is better than sitting when you sleep." I nod and lay next to her. She shivers, and I wrap my arms around her to warm her up. She doesn't get much warmer, so I sit up, and reach for the hem of my sweater. I pull it up over my head and hand it to her. She looks with awe at my bare chest. I frown.

"What's wrong?" I ask. She shakes her head, but her cheeks turn red.

"N-nothing..." She lies. She smiles and takes the sweater. She pulls it on over her head, and I lay down once more. We don't close our eyes for the next few minutes. We just stare into each other's eyes. Her eyes aren't as red as they were a week ago. They are now a shade of pink. They're... pretty. I finally close my eyes, and a while of trying to fall unconscious, nothing happens. I groan.

"What's wrong?" She asks.

"Do I have to think of something to fall asleep, or something?" I ask. She laughs.

"No, all you have to do is close your eyes for a while, and then you fall asleep." She instructs.

"I've tried that." I complain. She giggles.

"Try harder!" She pleads. I nod lightly, and suddenly feel dazed.

I begin to dream. It is strange. I am in a park, with lush, green grass and trees all over. I'm not wearing my ratty, torn clothes, but instead a nice tuxedo. I stand next to Smoker, who is also wearing a tuxedo. The boils and bumps on his face are gone, and he looks much better. He taps his cigarette, and the ashes crumble to the dirt. He tosses the smoke to the ground and stomps on it. He smiles at me, and turns around. I turn with him, and I see four rows of white, plastic chairs. Every chair had someone in it, and in front of those chairs, was an altar.

And there she was.

Witch, wearing a flowing wedding dress, her skin full of life and colour. My mouth falls open. Am I getting... married? To Witch? Smoker and I begin to walk when a blood curdling scream rouses me from my sleep. My eyes snap open, and I see Witch, her eyes full of tears. I sit up and pull her up with me. My arms wrap around her in a warm, calming embrace.

"What happened in your dream?" I ask her.

"N-n-nothing." She manages to say through sobs.

"Okay." I pull away, and stare into her eyes. Something about that dream makes me feel something... The word pops into my head immediately; wanting. I can't help myself. I wrap my arms around her, and bring my lips to meet hers. She stares at me, wide eyed and confused. A stream of tears rolls down her cheek. I wipe them with my finger, and pull away. I don't feel anything. No emotions, still. Should I? Probably not.

"W-what was th-that?" She asks, sniffling. I look her in the eye.

"I... I don't know." She closes her eyes. Very much to my surprise, she puts her hands over my ears, and brings her face to mine. Her lips are... warm. A human attribute. I begin to think. Maybe we're not full zombie. Maybe, we are like, half zombie, half human. I close my eyes and push the thoughts from mind. She pulls away, and looks awed.

"What?" I ask, surprised at her expression.

"That feels... good!" She says. I laugh at her reaction. A smile is spread from cheek to cheek, a sign I always love to see. Wait, 'love' to see? I grit my fangs out of the frustration of these thoughts combating one another, for all hours of the day. _She's beautifu_l, the voice says. I roll my eyes, but she doesn't take notice. _You like her_, it says again. _So?_, I ask it._ Why do you like her? What makes you like her?_, it whispers. _I don't know_, I tell it. _Good, because I do_. I narrow my eyes in frustration. _Okay, then! What makes me like her?_, I think in a fury. The voices answer shocks me.

_Your humanity_.

**A/N Hey! Didjya like it? Good! Go on to the next chapter!**


	3. Slight Disturbance

**A/N Well, this is terrible. THIS is the actual chapter four. The chapter labeled chapter four is actually chapter five. I messed up terribly.**

We lay there for a while, asleep. I dream once more, but not as I did before. I am dreaming that I am human, and I am free to roam about. It isn't too thrilling a dream, but it's probably the second nicest thing I've felt as an undead beast. That is until Witch shakes me awake. My eyes burst open, and I look around the room. Nothing. I stare into her eyes, and she seems worried. She puts a finger to her lips and mouths something.

Play, dead! I nod and close my eyes. It is silent, aside from the low rumble of a truck engine. Then talking.

"You guys left her?! What the fu-!" A voice begins. It's masculine, with a thick cuban accent.

"Listen, Ric! We had to! Besides, she was begging for us to leave her! She was dying, and she knew that! A Smoker was hot on our heels, and we didn't-!" Another voice, masculine, but higher with no accent. Before I realize it, we're covered in glass, and two figures are wrestling in the room before us. Three more figures burst into the room. I watch through barely opened eyes, and see the three figures  
were two women and an old man. The old man breaks the two apart.

"Enough! From both of you! Ricardo, we did all we could to save Leanne, but she was gone, and she knew that! Mitchell, you let me do the talking next time, hmm?" The old man demands. He must be the leader. He stands tall, a revolver in his hand. He wears black overalls, but the straps are covered by a brown jacket. His hair is white, and he is balding. One of the girls stands next to him. She has blonde hair that reaches her neck, and blue eyes that I can see even through the dark. She is wearing a green vest, and blue jeans.

"James is right. We lost someone, granted, but it was for the better of the group. Ric, had your wife not died, possibly more of us could be dead right now. Maybe you could've been the last one in the group. I hate to say it, but sacrifices must be made. And those sacrifices will hit some harder than others." She says. Mitchell nods, and so does the other girl. She has black hair, and a thick, blue vest, loose blue jeans, and a satchel is at her side. She keeps one of her hands over the buckle, and I can't help but wonder what's in it. I feel my hands tighten around Witch's waist. I just then realize they're even still there. Ricardo rushes past the group and out onto the streets. Mitchell shakes his head, and begins for the door. He stops, and examines us.

"Hey, Hanna, you got anymore film left?" He asks. The brunette walks towards us, and pulls something out of the satchel.

"Yeah, why?" She asks. Mitchell points to us.

"A Witch and a Hunter? Do you think they were put their as a joke by other survivors, or a sign maybe?" He asks.

"I don't know." She says bluntly. She raises the camera, and takes a few pictures. I feel something light land on my cheek, and I manage not to shiver. After a few minutes of silence, the car starts back up, and the group hops in. The car drives away, and are no longer apart of our life. I open my eyes, and see that Witch is now snuggled into my chest.

"That was... frightening." She says. I snicker and feel for whatever was on my cheek. I pull it off, and realize it's a picture of the two of us. I examine it for a minute before shoving it into my pocket.

"We should go." I tell her. She nods, and we stand. I peer out the broken window, and see that nothing is in sight. No Common, or survivors. I take a step out the door, and the cold wind hits me. I raise my arm over my face, and realize Witch is still wearing my sweater. The feeling of wind against my bare skin is weird. She wraps her hands around my arm, and we walk forward. I walk into the middle of the street, and pull the hatch off the sewer. She climbs in, and I follow, fitting the grate back into place as I lower myself in. As my feet touch the ground, I realize Smoker is standing at the other end of the circular room. He notices Witch and I, and I turn to her.

"I'm gonna need my sweater back now." I whisper to her. She nods and pulls it over her head, as Smoker begins to make his way through multiple Common. She hands me the sweater, and I pull it on over my head, and make sure the hood is up. Smoker seems to disregard the fact that she had my hoodie on, and walks right up to us.

"I got some food." He announces. He turns and makes his way back to the side of the room he was sitting in.

"He doesn't waste anytime." Witch jokes. I chuckle, and we walk to the other side of the room. Then I realize something. Ricardo's wife had been killed by a Smoker. No. We stand next to the body of a woman. She has black, rough hair tied back into a ponytail. She is wearing a green jacket that is too big for her, and grey jogging pants. Witch just stares as well, probably thinking what I just was. Smoker shrugs.

"Dig in!" He says, walking away. I look over at Witch, who looks scared. I bend over, and examine the body. There is no real way to tell from her look that she could've been his wife, but I still look over her. Without thinking, I reach into her jacket pocket, and I feel something. It is thin, and possibly paper. I pull it out and a groan escapes me. It's a picture, and it's a picture of the woman with Ricardo and two children. Witch gasps, and I look back at the woman's face.

"Man, Ricardo is going to be pissed..." Witch jokes. I snicker, and shake my head.

"I don't think I can..." I begin. I feel her hand on my shoulder.

"Neither can I." She assures me. Smoker turns to us, and frowns.

"Why're you guys not eating? You guys have no idea how frustrating it was to get that." He complains.

"Her..." I correct him. He rolls his eyes, almost angrily, and drags the body away. I shiver, and stand. I walk past her, and towards the ladder. I climb it, and push the grate up above my head. Witch calls after me, but I ignore her. I need to distract myself.


	4. Jakob

**A/N Hey, sorry this one took so long. I actually had it uploaded to my account, but had forgotten to publish it. As this is one of my first stories, I was shocked to find people had favorited it and decided to follow it, but am still disappointed that with over two-hundred and fifty views, three followers, and two favorites, I am yet to have a single review. Anyways, enjoy.**

Chapter 3:

I hop onto the roof, and look down at the streets. I'm eight stories up. I see commons wandering around, the occasional fight breaking out. I turn, and lean against one of the vents, take my hood off, and stare up into the sky.  
"Hunter?" I hear Witch call from below. I growl, and close my eyes. She continues to call out for me, until one of her cries gets cut off. I open my eyes, and lean over the side. She is nowhere to be seen. I hop over the side of the apartment building, and scan once more. I notice movement. Too abrupt to be the movement of an idle common. I leap off the building, and land on my claws. I supress a growl, and move towards the alleyway the movement came from. There's a crash of a trash can, and I stand and sprint to the alley. I see Witch, her mouth covered by a hand. Behind her, is a human. He wears a white coat, which is smudged. I scream and lunge at the man. He throws Witch forward, and punches me once in the face. I hiss as his fist collides with the scar on my cheek. Witch bounds towards the man, but he ducks. She runs right over him, and he raises a gun. It is aimed right at the back of her head.

"Listen! I know what you two are! I want to help!" He calls. I want to pounce him, but then he'd pull the trigger. I can't let him kill Witch.

"What are we then?" I snap, without thinking. His gun lowers, and he turns to me.

"You can speak!" He says, amused. I growl, threatening to pounce. He holds his arms up in defence, and drops his gun to the ground.

"I mean you no harm. I just wish to study you." He tells us. I narrow my eyes.

"Study us?" I ask, angrily. He nods, and pants.

"Yes. You are unique. You have a chance to..." He begins. I grit my teeth, and walk towards him.

"To what?" I ask.

"To turn." He responds. I chuckle.

"Turn? In case you haven't noticed, we have already turned!" I retort. He shakes his head.

"No! Turn back! Turn back into a human!" He says. My eyes widen. I stare down at the ground, then at Witch. She is smiling. I get that odd feeling in my stomach that I felt the other day.

"How?" I ask.

"It's simple, if you'd please come with me to-" Without warning, a tongue wraps around his body.

"No!" I scream. I look up and see Smoker constricting the man. I crouch and jump up at him. I land on top of him, and I slash his tongue. It falls down to the alleyway below us. I look into his eyes with ferocity and anger boiling inside me. He looks at me, innocently.

"You are not going to take my chance to be human away from me, Smoker!" The words escape my lips. He frowns and pushes me off of him.

"Human? You want to be human? Are you daft?" He asks.

"Why would I be insane for something like that? It's perfectly normal!" He shakes his head.

"Yeah, for a human! We're the apex predators now, Hunter! Humans are soon to be an extinct race!" He retorts.

"So I'll die with them!" I argue. He circles me, as though he is seeing a brand new person.

"What makes you think you can even become human again?" He interrogates.

"That man says he can make me human!" I yell.

"Yeah, chances of that are slim! This could turn out three ways! One, he leads you to your death! Two, he locks you up and runs a series of tests on you! And three, he actually does manage to turn you! That third one is near impossible!" He shouts.

"So? Am I not allowed to hope?" I ask. He shakes his head.

"We are not human! We are Infected! What even makes you any different than the others? That man could turn any common down there into a human! Why doesn't he? Because he can't! You are too gullible, Hunter!" He scorns. He steps closer to me, baring his claws. I rise and show him mine. Mine trump his easily.

"Have you not noticed that we can speak? That we can move as we will, and do what we will? That's what makes us different! Not the man who performs on us! The state of infection!" I scream. Rage fills me, and it takes all my strength to stop from attacking him.

"You are too naive and stupid, Hunter! You really believe that we can just turn back?" He asks. I nod.

"We became Infected one way, and we can become human another!" I growl.

"You are stupid, and gullible. Even if you were to turn back, you'd be an outcast! A freak! The only person you'd have is Witch, and she's too stupid to survive as a human!" I lose control at this comment. He can insult me, and say I'm foolish. But he does not bring her into this. He does not get to.

**A/N This chapter was a bit short, but the next one is guaranteed to be longer. That's a promise I am willing to keep. Oh, and before I forget, make sure to leave a review on where I could improve, or even suggestions (no flaming, please). So you can go ahead, and just uh, y'know, leave a review, right down below.**


	5. Nathan and Sylvia

**A/N After posting the last chapter, I couldn't wait to post this. Soooooo...**

**Allan4242564: Don't worry, my friend. All in good time...**

**Fanfiction108: Trust me, I won't back down from this project. That's a promise I can keep.**

Chapter 4  
I pounce him, and begin to tear him limb from limb. He punches me square in the jaw, and I fly back. I grimace at the pain, and feel my chin. A trickle of blood runs down it. Damn, he throws a nasty punch! I look at him to see he is rising to his feet. I quickly stand and turn to face him, only for another punch to meet my nose. I hiss in pain. I quickly slash his chest before he's able to attack me again. His shirt rips, revealing grayish-brown skin. He coughs and kicks me in the chest, sending me backwards. Before I know it, I'm hanging off the edge of the building. I struggle for a grip, but only my left arm is able to keep hold. I look down, dazed by his kick, and see Witch frozen with the man. I look back up, and Smoker is standing above me. He gives me a malcious grin.

"I've noticed that we don't feel too hurt when we fall from this high... but what about 'humans'?" He mocks. He raises his foot to stomp on my hand, but my feet find a brick to grab onto and I swing my body up. I kick him in the chest as I land, making him stumble back. I take the oppurtunity to pounce him again, and this time, more mercilessly. My claws pull on arteries and veins, tearing them to shreds. While I rip away at his flesh, I feel someone pull me off, and I stare back at Smoker. His body is torn, and cracked. Another emotion comes over me; guilt. I look away, and notice Witch is dragging me away. She lets go of my arm, and I lay on the ground. I look back at Smoker, who is now limp.

"Is he alive?" I ask.

"Who?"

"The scientist guy!" I am so pissed I can't even speak properly.

"Yes." She tells me. I nod, and begin to descend from the building, making sure not to look at Smoker. I hope he isn't dead. That's the guilt. Witch is above me, as my feet touch the ground. I notice the man sitting on the ground, coughing. He looks up at me.

"Was that Smoker another one?" He asks. I nod. I lean against a wall, and put my hood up.

"Show us." I command. He looks at me, confusedly.

"Show you what?" He asks.

"Your lab. Your prison. Whatever it is!" I demand. He nods. I look over to Witch. She is no longer smiling. Of course she isn't. I was just at my peak of violence around her. I've never been that destructive. Especially around her. And besides, he's fed us more than we have ourselves. And I just slashed him up. The man stands up. He reaches inside his coat, and pulls something out. A folder. He hands it to me, and I look at it.

"I'm Jakob." He tells me. I open the folder. Inside, is a bunch of papers. My eyes flitter between the pages. My eyes stop on one page. On the page, is a picture. It looks like... me. I read the bio.  
Name: Nathan Helix  
Age: 23  
Hometown: Fairfield, Pennsylvania.  
Adress: N/A  
Status: Past Deceased (Hunter)  
Gene: Late Immune  
My mouth falls open.

"Am I... Nathan Helix?" I ask. He walks next to me and looks at the page.

"Yes." He says, shortly after examining it. Witch quickly hurries over to me.

"Am I in there?" She asks. I shrug. I skip through the pages, until a picture of her pops up.

"Holy, crap." I say. She's beautiful. Stunning. I read the bio.  
Name: Sylvia White  
Age: 19  
Hometown: Fairfield, Pensylvania  
Status: Past deceased (Witch)  
Gene: Late Immune

"So, Sylvia, Nathan. You guys wanna go?" Jakob asks. I'm not used to this name. Nathan. Nathan...

"Yes." Witch says.

"Alright. Let's go!" He says. He reaches for the folder, before pulling his arm back. He walks out of the alleyway, and out onto the streets. The day really passed. The sun has fallen. The stars have risen. I feel Witch's fingers lace through mine.

"Let's go, Nathan!" She says. I snicker and turn to her.

"Ladies first, Sylvia!" I tell her. She chuckles, and we continue forward. Jakob has opened the door to a truck, and is now getting in. Without thinking, we sit in the back of the truck. She leans her head on my shoulder, and we skit through the folder, and find the information for the others in the sewer. Smoker's real name is Jackson. I didn't pay attention to the others. It's not like I'd ever need to use their real names. I would probably never even use Smoker's real name. Sylvia shivers, and I bring her closer into me.

"Do you want my sweater?" I ask. She nods, and I smile. I pull my sweater off in one swift motion, and Sylvia giggles. I look at her.

"What is with you and me taking my sweater off?" I ask her. She doesn't answer. Her hands just drift over my chest.

"You're... muscular." She says, sheepishly. I chuckle.

"Thanks, I guess." I say. She takes my sweater and pulls it over her head. Her head rests on my arm, and she smiles. I wipe some of the hair away from her face, and she closes her eyes. She whispers something before drifting off to sleep. I try to make out what she said, but it isn't apparent. After a while of attempting to decipher what she said, I fall asleep. The only thing I remember is figuring out the first word, and first two letters of the second.

"_I lo_", is all I got.

**A/N Well, things are getting a bit more... spicy? Is that the word? I don't know. Anyways, I'd appreaciate some more reviews, and maybe even some suggestions, and it'd be ****_really_**** appreaciated if you'd follow and favorite if you liked it a lot.**

**So long, and thanks for all the fish.**

**P.S. I am trying to post everyday, if I can.**


	6. Romeo

**A/N Hey! Look! Listen! This chapter introduces a new (and important) character, that is actually in a lot of stories I write. Anyways, read and enjoy!**

Jakob shakes me awake, and Sylvia groans to life. I open my eyes, and a bunch of gun barrels are trained on me.

"Well, crap." I manage to say. "Jakob?" I ask. I look over at him, and he shrugs.

"It's a custom. Any new people must be tested, and uh, well your new and Infected." He explains. Sylvia opens her eyes, and gasps.

"Could you tell them we want to be human?" I ask. He shakes his head.

"They're stubborn." He says. I groan, and my head tilts back.

"I think they're sa-" Suddenly, a scream interrupts the man. My head shoots straight up. The soldiers all turn to look somewhere else. One of their radios buzzes on.

"He's escaped! Romeo has-!" The voice is cut off by a groan.

"Romeo's escaped? What do we do, captain?" The man in the middle points back to us.

"Take them, and-" Something stops the man mid sentence. He falls onto the truck bed, to reveal an arrow in his neck. I follow where it came from, and see a man from a distance staring at us. The soldiers raise their guns and start towards him. He fires another arrow, and it pierces the visor of a soldier. They open fire, but he dodges every single gunshot. While they're reloading, he puts his bow away, and pulls something else out. A pair of tomahawks. He charges towards the soldiers, and brings the tomahawk into one of their helmets. One of them draws their knife, and attempts to attack Romeo. Romeo deflects the knife, and slashes the stomach of the soldier. He ducks as a soldier shoots, and he brings the tomahawk down into the skull of the soldier on the ground. I notice a string holding the two tomahawks together. The soldier who fired the shot stands before Romeo, and he lets one of his tomahawks go. He lashes the one he still has a grip on so it spins and slashes up the body of the soldier. He falls dead, and Romeo manages to grab his flying tomahawk. He runs at the last soldier, and makes his way past him, holding his tomahawks on either side of the soldiers head. He turns behind the soldier, and the twin tomahawks curve to choke the soldier. A few seconds later, the soldier falls dead. I look over to Jakob, who is now panicking. Romeo turns to Jakob, and points at him.

"Hey! Jakob! Get back here!" He runs towards Jakob, and pins him to the ground.

"You lied to me! Because I was a Carrier, meant you should keep me in captivity?" He curses and punches Jakob. I don't do anything. Sylvia presses her face into my side as Romeo beats Jakob to a pulp. Romeo stops and stands. He opens the truck door, and it revvs to life. Sylvia looks up at me, worriedly.

"What's going on?" She whispers.

"I don't know." I say quietly. I need to take her mind off of this. The truck pulls out, and out of the complex. She's worried. I need to take her mind off of our human kidnapper.

"You said something to me last night before you fell asleep. What was it?" I ask her. She looks at me, embarrassed.

"I didn't say anything." She says. I smile.

"Yes. You did. It sounded like 'I lo'. What was it?" I ask.

"I... I didn't say anything." She tries to convince me.

"Sylvia, what did you say?" I ask, my smile fading.

"I... I...love..." She begins. She closes her eyes, and forces herself into my side. I know what comes after that. I just don't say anything. Sylvia begins to cry, something she hasn't done for a while. I stroke her hair, hoping for her to calm down. After at least an hour of repetitive sobbing, the truck comes to a stop. Romeo opens the truck door, and walks to the side of the truck. He looks at us.

"What, no thank you?" He asks. I shake my head.

"Why would we thank you?" I retort.

"I just saved your life!" He shouts.

"I can't believe you saved my life. You're my hero!" I say in a sarcastic voice. He snickers.

"What the hell, man! You would've been killed in there!"

"Yeah, kill the dead guy..." I say quietly. He looks at me.

"What? You're...?" He thinks. He quickly grabs his tomahawks from the front seat.

"We're not going to kill you, you know." I tell him.

"Prove it!" He demands. He raises his weapons, and threatens to strike me.

"If I were to attack you, I would've done so earlier." I tell him. He lowers his tomahawk.

"I know what you are. You're a late immune." He tells me. I look at him.

"What's that?" I ask.

"It's when you're immunity isn't active until after you become infected. Now, come with me." He gestures to the back of the truck. I lift Sylvia in my arms, and follow Romeo.

"Never seen a Hunter and Witch get along so well." He says. I nod.

"Yeah..." I say, awkwardly. I look down at Sylvia, who looks up at me shyly, before burying her face into my chest. He feels a red door, and knocks on it twice, then once, then three times. The door slides open, and we walk in. The warm air hits me as I walk in. In this room are two girls, one whose leg is injured, and the other who opened the door. Then I remember where I've seen Romeo. I killed the old man he was with. He was the one who prevented the rescue of the senior. The injured woman looks at me, curiously. The other one retires to a desk, and begins to write notes, almost depressed.

"These two are late immunes." Romeo introduces. He turns to us. "You got names?"

"I'm Nathan, and this is Sylvia." I tell him. He nods, and rests his tomahawks on the table in front of him. The injured woman sits up.

"How do we know they're not just getting smarter? I mean, we saw that saferoom graffitti, and maybe the person was-" She begins.

"For the last time, Michelle, it's fine. That person was either crazy or being robbed by others who acted like late immunes." He assures her. The uninjured girl hardly glances at us. Romeo turns to us.

"As you probably already know, I'm Romeo. That's Michelle. And the one moping about is Dixie." Romeo says. Dixie shoots him a glare.

"I'm moping about because my father was mauled to death by a Hunter." She snaps. I shudder. I killed her father. Damn.

"I'm not sure about this, Romeo! You even said there was a possibility that that guy was robbed by people pretending to be late immunes. How do we know that's not the case?" Michelle questions. Romeo sighs, and rubs the bridge of his nose.

"Fine, Michelle. We'll talk about it. But for now, I suggest you two go into that room to rest." He nods at us, and points towards a steel door. I nod and mutter a thanks before opening the door and sitting down. It closes and locks behind me, but I decide to not panic. If they wanted to kill us, they'd have done so already. I hold Sylvia in my arms. She seems... peaceful. I lightly shake her, and she looks up at me.

"Sylvia, while they decide our fate, I think we should talk about... us." I begin. Her eyes widen out of fear.

"What do you mean?" She asks, worried.

"I mean we should talk about what we feel, and whether we should feel that way. Or even if we would feel that way if we were humans." I tell her. She nods, and slumps back into my lap.

"I love you, Nathan. I have for a while. That's why I get nervous when you take off your sweater, or when you stroke my hair or even when you kissed me. I've felt human for a while. I knew I had began to turn back two weeks before I met you, but I didn't know what to do. I was afraid to tell you I felt human, because I thought you'd turn on me and attack me. But... I love you. And..." She stops, and pulls the hood of my sweater up.

"Okay. I think I feel the same way about you-" She quickly glances up at me, "-, but I can't be sure until I'm fully human." She looks down, sadly. I lift her face up to look at me.

"But I don't think I'll change too much." I say, before bringing my lips to meet hers. I remember the first time I did this, I had no clue why I had done it and I felt nothing, just impluse. But now... I feel, I don't know. Love? Yes. That has to be it. She stares into my eyes. Passion flows through hers. She quickly wraps her arms around my neck, and I pull her hood down. I cup her face in my hands. The door opens, and we pull apart. Romeo stands in the doorway, his mouth gaped open.

"Never seen a Witch and Hunter get along that well..." He says. I scowl, and stand. I lend my arm out to help Sylvia up. She takes my hand and warmth immediately courses through my arm. We walk out of the room, hand in hand. Instead of just Romeo, Dixie, and Michelle, there is another man. He stands over something on the table that Romeo had placed his tomahawks.

"David, these two are Nathan and Sylvia." Romeo introduces. David looks up at us. He waves, before looking back down.

"Interesting..." He says. He grabs a paper and begins to mark something down.

"David researches the Special Infected, as well as other crap to do with this apocalypse." Romeo tells us.

"What have you decided about us?" Sylvia asks, impatiently.

"You're-" Romeo begins.

"Leaving!" Dixie cuts off. Romeo scowls at her.

"Shut up, Dixie! They're staying, if they choose." He looks back at us. "If you want to stay, you may." I look at Sylvia. She seems frustrated. She looks at me.

"We have to decide." I nod. I look over at Romeo. I point to the room we came out of.

"You all have to go in there." I joke, hoping to cheer Sylvia up. She rests her head against my arm. Romeo chuckles.

"Just decide!" He turns and sits on one of the chairs. I look down at Sylvia, who is smiling. Good.

**A/N Fun fact: Before I thought to do this story, I wanted to do another story about Romeo, and how he knew some of the actual characters from the game. You'll learn more about that next chapter, though.**

**So long, and thanks for all the fish.**


	7. A Decision and an Outcome

**A/N Hey. This chapter is definitely not long, but it doesn't need to be. Things definitely begin to go downhill from here. Anyways, enjoy!**

Romeo slides another chair across the room, towards me. I take it, and sit down. Sylvia sits on my lap. She quickly pulls my sweater over her head, and hands it to me. I pull it on over my head, and she smiles.  
"I think we should stay." She says. I nod.  
"Yeah, I think it'd be best if we were with humans when we turn. They could teach us how to be human, and how to survive." I agree. I look up, and observe the others. David casually glances in our directions every few minutes, then goes back to jotting something down. Dixie has retired to her mat, and is now sleeping in the corner. Romeo sits and speaks with Michelle, quietly. I look back down into Sylvia's grey eyes, and smile.  
"And besides, they could really take care of us here!" I say. She giggles, and nods. She slides her arm up my neck, and brings me down into a warm embrace. David gasps from across the room, and I snicker into Sylvia's lips.  
"They-! They can... What...?" He says, puzzled. Romeo chuckles, and I pull away.  
"Nice job! You've baffled David!" He jokes. Michelle smiles widely, and leans back on her couch. She rests her head against the arm rest, and shuts her eyes. David stutters, and tries to find words to describe the relationship between Sylvia and I, and Romeo just laughs. I think Sylvia and I will be perfect here.

For the next few days, we're stationary. We stay in the small building, either playing card games, or talking. I turns out Romeo is an Immune, as are all the others. He went to the miliatary outpost to seek salvation for the four of them, but found that they were just going to run tests on them all. They had put him in some sort of torture, until he found a weakness, and escaped, taking us with him. Jakob lured him in, as he had us. All was nice for us, all shacked up in the building, no troubles, that is until we ran out of food.

"Crap! I thought we had more!" Romeo shouts, rummaging through boxes. David shakes his head.

"Nope! No more." He says, plainly. Romeo shakes his head, and mutters something under his breath. Michelle looks up at Romeo, and raises her hand.

"Can't we just scavenge for more?" She suggests. Romeo heaves a sigh, and drops his shoulders.

"Yeah, but that's too risky. We're seriously low on ammo, and I have barely any arrows left." He says.

"So? You've got your tomahawks, David has his knife, and those two have claws!" She says, pointing to Sylvia and I. Romeo glances over at us, and frowns.

"Yeah, but..." He begins, trying to find a reason for us to stay.

"Fine!" Romeo grabs his tomahawks from the table, and puts them in their holsters. Michelle sits back, and smiles triumphantly.

"Woah woah woah, don't Sylvia and I get a say in this?" I ask. Romeo glares at me, and shakes his head.

"When Michelle wants something, she usually gets it." He teases. Michelle chuckles, and throws one of the cushions from the couch at him.

"I do not!" She protests. Romeo laughs, before turning to face David.

"David? You ready?" He asks. David nods, and takes a large, bowie knife from his boot. I stand, and lift Sylvia up. We walk towards Romeo, who is now by the door, David at his side. He turns to us, and puts a hand on the edge of the door. He nods, and counts down.

"Three... Two... One!" He slides the door open, and rushes into the dank alleyway. David follows close behind him, and Sylvia walks with them. As I exit, I turn towards the door, and slide it shut. I turn to face the others. David and Romeo scan the alley, making sure there is no Infected. A single common sits cross legged against the truck, but Romeo quickly brings his tomahawk into it's skull. It falls forward, and it's forehead smacks against the pavement. Romeo opens the truck door, and hops in. He puts the keys into the ignition, and it revs to life. David runs to the other side of the truck, and sits in the passenger seat. Sylvia and I sit in the back, and the truck lurches forward.  
The city is oddly silent. Barely any Infected roam the streets, allowing us to travel with ease. After a few minutes of driving, the truck turns into another alley. The alley becomes silent and dark, as the truck becomes lifeless. Romeo and David get out of the truck. Sylvia and I hop off the bed of the truck, and we all begin to make our way back onto the streets. I look around, and see the street full of broken down, and rusted cars. But a few cars are on, but not running. They have active car alarms. As we walk past one, it chirps, making me jump.

"Don't. Touch. The cars." Romeo warns. David nods in agreement, and we continue to sneak down the street. I feel a warm hand wrap around mine, and turn to see Sylvia smiling up at me. I smile in return. Romeo walks through a shattered window, and I look up at the sign. It blankly reads "Clothes". I snicker. Why would we go to a clothes shop before a grocery store or something?

"Uh, Romeo?" I begin. He turns to look at me.

"Why the hell are we here?" I ask. He shrugs.

"Well, you guys are clearly well on your way to becoming human, so I thought some warm clothes might be a step up from what you're wearing now." He explains. I nod and roll my eyes. David parts from us, and makes his way to a section labeled 'Men'. Romeo looks back at the two of us, then to David. He runs to catch up to his friend, and Sylvia and I are alone. I look up, and see a sign marking this the woman's aisle. Without thinking, I let out a groan. Sylvia drags me into the aisle, and begins to search through clothes.

"I already hate this." I complain. She giggles and drops the clothes in her hands. She wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me. She pulls away, a cocky grin on her face.

"Does that make it better?" She asks. I chuckle.

"Barely." I joke. She laughs, before returning to her 'shopping'. I lean against a clothes rack, hoping she'll be done soon. Rome and David appear from around the corner, bags slung over their shoulders.

"You guys finished?" Romeo asks.

"We haven't even started!" I complain. Sylvia shrugs, and continues to search through clothes. A, literal, half hour later, we're back in the truck. Romeo and David had grabbed random handfuls of clothes, while Sylvia carefully picked what she wanted. As we speed through the city, the moon begins to set, but the sun isn't yet on the horizon. The truck suddenly comes to a halt, and I look over the truck and gasp.  
Hundreds, maybe thousands, of common stand crowded on the street, now staring at us. They bound towards the truck, and within seconds we're swarmed. Romeo and David somehow manage to get out of the car, and are now slicing anything that attacks. Sylvia and I begin to fight back as well. For a few minutes, we're fine, just bruised with a few scratches.  
That is until we hear the ground rumbles, and without warning, common are flung around like ragdolls. The truck is suddenly flipped, causing Sylvia and I to fly off the back. My vision blurs, and my hearing becomes hollow. I lay on the ground staring into the dark. Common run amok, chasing something. The rumbling has grown louder, and is closer. I blink, but it doesn't make a difference. Whether my eyes are open or closed, I still only see black. I feel someone grab my arms.

"David! Where the hell are you going?" I hear Romeo shout. I open my eyes to see him throwing me over his shoulder, and Sylvia over his other. Romeo continues to shout to David, but with no response. The common continue to run towards what I assume is David. I see a Tank slowly follow behind them before I black out.

**A/N Yeah, I know it's short. Did I promise to make this one longer? If I did, I broke that promise, but I'm having a bit of difficulty writing these scenes. They're just so **_**boring**_** for me to write. I'm sorry about posting this one so late, I had uploaded it to my doc manager, but forgot to publish it. Oh yeah, I'm thinking of going to fifteen chapters. But I do plan on having a sequel.** **BTW, I also lied about learning more about Romeo's past. That is definitely next chapter.****  
**

**So long, and thanks for all the fish (Does anybody get this reference?)**


	8. Making Friends

**A/N Hey! This side explains how Romeo knows some of the original survivors, as promised. I can promise things continue to go downhill, as some of the characters change further.**

I awake to sheer pain in my sides. I gasp, and clench my teeth. I smell dried blood and alchohol. I turn my head to see Dixie with a bottle of rum in her hands, and tears running down her face. Romeo sits across the room, leaning over a table. He looks sad, and almost determined. I lift my body as well as I can, but collapse into a heap once more.

"Careful. You almost died out there. You need to rest." Michelle says. I turn my head to see her lying on the couch, her leg still bound in a cast. I notice a bottle in her hand. It reads "Molson Canadian".

"It's beer." She tells me. She reaches into a backpack, and pulls out another bottle. She hands it to me.

"All the cool kids are doing it." She jokes. I snicker, and take the bottle. I undo the cap, and tip my head back. The contents flood into my mouth in what I could say is pretty nasty. I pull the bottle away, and cough. Michelle laughs.

"Guess you're not much of a drinker, huh?" She jokes again. I shrug.

"I guess not." I put the bottle to the side of my mat. I look around the room.

"Where's Sylvia?" I ask her. She shrugs.

"She went outside a few minutes ago. She said she needed some fresh air." She explains. I try to get up, but she stops me again.

"You're not going anywhere with those injuries." She says.

"Oh yeah? Just watch me." I say. I immediately eat my words and cry out in pain.

"Jesus Christ!" Michelle shakes her head.

"Told ya so." She says. I hold my sides and grind my teeth together. She reaches for my bottle again.

"It might not taste that great, but it'll numb the pain." She tells me. I take the bottle and quickly pour it down my throat. My pain is not numbed. I point my finger at her.

"You lie!" I shout. She laughs, and I smile with her. I look over at Romeo, who refuses to look up. Despite the pain, I prop myself up against the couch arm.

"What happened to David?" I ask her. She looks down at her lap, and her smile fades.

"He's, uh... well, he's dead." She says. My mouth falls open.

"What? How?" I ask, shocked.

"Well, we assume he's dead. I'd be surprised if he managed to survive the Horde along with a Tank." She says. I look down. Did we just leave him for dead? I know Romeo, and he wouldn't have just left his best friend behind. Unless he thought Sylvia and I were more important. Does he? I don't know anymore. It's not like I ever really knew in the first place, but...

Knowing what pain it'll bring, I stand. I stomp my foot to attempt to subside the pain. It doesn't work. I walk towards the doorway, holding my sides in the process. I open the saferoom door, and cold wind hits my chest. I look down to realize I no longer have my sweater on. How did I not notice that before? I walk into the alleyway and see Sylvia sitting on a dumpster. She's wearing a pair of jeans and a pair of white sneakers. Along with my sweater. She looks back at me.

"Hey..." She says, weakly. I walk to the side of the dumpster, and attempt to climb it. I grit my teeth as my sides burn. She offers me a hand, and I climb on top of the dumpster. I sit next to her, and nearly collapse. I lean my head on her shoulder, and close my eyes. Before drifting off to an inevitably (and quite neccasary), sleep, I mutter a few words to her.

"I love you."

A half hour later, I wake up on my bed again. Sylvia sits beside me with Romeo, playing a card game known as 'Go fish'. He wanted to teach us some other games, like one called 'War', but Michelle said it would be too complicated for us to remember right now. I scan the room. Michelle sits on her couch, strumming a random banjo. Dixie lays asleep on her mat, a bottle in her hand. Romeo looks at me, and smiles.

"Hey, man." He says to me. Sylvia smiles and leans into my chest.

"Hey. How'd I get here?" I ask. Sylvia points to Romeo.

"He brought you in when I heard a Smoker." She explains. I raise my eyebrows.

"You don't think it could be...?" I begin. Sylvia shrugs.

"Possibly. If I were him, I'd be tracking us down, too." She says. I nod uneasily. They continue playing their game for a few minutes, before Romeo speaks.

"It's amazing what you two have." He says. I chuckle.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask him.

"It's the zombie apocalypse! And you guys are, like, y'know..." He begins, motioning towards us.

"In love?" Sylvia suggests. I feel uncomfortable with that for some reason. Being so open about the fact that we love each other.

"Yeah." He says.

"Why do you act like Sylvia and I being an item to be weird. Aren't you and Michelle, like..." I begin. The banjo plucking ceases.

"Ah hell no!" Michelle protests.

"No. But I did have a thing with a girl, even during the apocalypse..." He begins. I raise an eyebrow.

"Oh?" I ask.

"Yeah, back before I head these guys, I was a lone wolf. That is until some random girl came across my path. Man, she was beautiful. Her name was Zoey. I had this place with running water and whatever, and I ended up making my move. I was sure I'd fallen in love with her. But a single Horde seperated us, and she escaped with some veteran, a biker and some salesman. At least, that's what the CEDA news line said. I went back to CEDA hearing that she was there, but they had escaped before I could see her again. And that's when I left with you guys." He tells us. I see a single tear form in his eye.

"You really loved her." I say. He looks up at me.

"What makes you think that?" He asks, almost offended.

"Nothing." I look down at the ground. A few minutes later, there's a pounding on the door. We all exchange glances.

"Guys! Let me in!" I immediately recognize the voice. David.

**A/N Cliffhanger? I dunno, just review if you want. Favorite maybe? Follow maybe? Once again, I dunno. Just hold on for the next chapter.**

**P.S. I made a publishing mistake on the story. So check out chapter three. It's what takes place between when Nathan and Sylvia are asleep on the random couch, and when they meet Jakob. CHECK THAT OUT! **

**So long, and thanks for all the fish.**


	9. The Brink of Insanity

**A/N Hey everybody! Sorry this one's late. I just got kinda lazy. Anyways, enjoy the new chapter!**

Everyone exchanges glances. Was this real? Romeo jumps up and grabs his tomahawks. He makes his way towards the door, his weapons raised. He reaches for the door handle, and opens it quickly. David falls into a mess on the floor.

"Thank God!" He calls, as Romeo shuts the door again. He's... unscathed. It doesn't look like he even went through the Horde at all. I'm sure if I were him, I'd be documenting my experience in that booklet of his. He pants, and sputters.

"It... was hell!" He screams. He attempts to get up, but he falls again. Romeo stares in shock at his living best friend. The rest of us are just as surprised. Well, except for Dixie who's still passed out.

"How did... how did you survive?" Michelle asks him. He looks up. He begins to shake his head frantically.

"I don't know. I don't know!" He screams. Romeo kneels beside him, and tries to help him up.

"There were so many... all so different!" He shouts.

"What do you mean, 'different'?" Romeo asks, confused. David stands and draws his notebook from his pocket and begins to write furiously into the book.

"New Special Infected..." He mutters. My jaw drops open.

"New ones?" I ask. I look at Sylvia.

"Yes! New and more dangerous ones!" He pushes his notebook off the table, and takes another sheet of paper. He begins to sketch something. He continues to pant, crazily.

"David? Are you okay?" Romeo asks.

"No! I am not okay! I saw four others get tortured, twisted and violated! They all died! I survived, a lone survivor!" He slams the pencil down.

"We are screwed! Screwed, screwed, screwed!" He repeats. Romeo shakes his head. He grabs his best friend's shoulders and turns David towards him. He slaps his friend, and he shuts up.

"Shut up! You are fine! We will be fine!." He pleads. David shoves him off. Romeo falls back, and onto the floor. At that moment, Dixie groans and wakes up. She looks around at all the commotion.

"David?" She asks. She drops the bottle, and stands. She runs towards him and wraps her arms around his neck.

"You're alive!" She screams happily. I look up at Michelle.

"What the hell?" I ask. She shrugs.

"I have as much an idea as you." She tells me. I look back at David. He is still, and staring at Dixie. She whispers something to him, before she passes out. I begin to say something, but stop myself afterwards. I shake my head, and take Sylvia's hand. I pull her closer to me, and she rests her head on my shoulder. I begin to stroke my hair as I watch as David lifts the sketch and pins it to the wall in front of him.

"There! The Savage!" The sketch looks messy. But gruesome. It's limbs and intestines fall slopilly outside of it's body, barely hanging on by a string of muscle or nerve. It's face is distorted, and twisted. I'm not sure if that's the actual look of it, or whether it's David's insane image of it. A large cut runs down it's chest, but it looks sown together. A pipe sticks out of the middle of the cut, with blood dripping off the end.

"It's nightmarish! It looks weak! We underestimated it! It uses manipulation to lure you, like the Witch!" Sylvia looks up at me.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She asks. I shake my head.

"I don't know." I tell her. David looks down at another piece of paper and begins to sketch again. Romeo rises and runs towards his friend. He tackles him to the ground, and holds him there.

"You are not insane...!" Romeo tells himself. I stand and ignore the pain to pull Romeo off of David. I drag Romeo away from David, but he kicks and attempts to get out of my grasp. I open the door to the room Sylvia and I were put in when we first got here. I haven't been in here since. I throw him forward.

"What the hell was that?" I demand. He stands, anger visible in his eyes.

"That was..." He begins, looking for a reason to justify what he did.

"Insane!" I finish. He glares at me.

"He is not insane!" He yells. I turn to look out the door, and see Sylvia is worried. I slam the door.

"Yes. He is. He's seen nothing but death and destruction. Such a thing could only lead to that outcome. He watched as his new companions were killed in disgusting ways. I hate to say it. But he is insane." I tell him. He runs a hand through his hair, obviously stressed.

"No..." He mutters. "No, no, no!" His whisper turns into a scream. I slap him in he face.

"Get a hold of yourself!" I say in a hushed tone, my teeth clenched. He begins to stare at the floor, before falling and leaning against the wall. He covers his face.

"Everything's falling apart..." He says.

"What?" I ask. What does he mean by that?

"Everything's falling apart. Michelle is injured. Dixie is depressed. David is insane. And I'm stressed to hell. You and Sylvia are fine. You have to leave."

"Leave?" What? Leave? What the hell?

"This group is failing. You and Sylvia still have a chance. You need to go." He tells me.

"No. We are not just going-"

"Yes! You are! I took up the responsibility of this group when Dixie's father died! And I am going to die with these people!" He growls. I heave a sigh.

"I killed him." I admit. His mouth falls open.

"Dixie's father?" He asks. I nod.

"I, uh, I'm not proud of it. But I live with my mistakes." He sighs.

"You were the Hunter. The one who was almost killed by Dixie. And that Witch we almost ran into-?"

"Was Sylvia, yes. You guys actually introduced me to her. So, thanks, for that." I say, trying to bring off the heat of the fact I killed his friend's father.

"No problem." He says, sarcastically. He storms out of the room, anger taking over his body. And that's when I stop ignoring the pain. My knees buckle, and a burning feeling takes my sides by storm.

"Ah, crap!" I yelp. Sylvia is at my side in an instant. I clench my teeth, and force my eyes shut. Sensing the tension in the room, Sylvia leads me outside. She leans me against the dumpster we sat on the day before. She nuzzles her head into my neck, and wraps her arms around me.

"What were you guys talking about?" She asks me after a few minutes of silence.

"The group is falling apart. He thinks we're the only ones who can survive out of the group. He told me that he and the group are dead weight. We're to leave and survive on our own." I tell her. She nods.

"He's going to have to teach us how to, though." She suggests.

"I know." The night is silent, and our voices are the only things to be heard. Fortunately, no common seem to have heard us. I slide my hand up to her chin, and tilt her head up to me. I kiss her. As we pull away, I see a flicker of a tear in her eye.

"What's wrong?" She shakes her head.

"I've just never been so happy in my life. Or really, my death." She jokes. I laugh, and she giggles.

"You know we're not actually dead, right? We're just infected with a-" She cuts me off by grabbing my collar and bringing me down for another kiss.

I _really_ hope that this all can be solved one day, so that I can live a normal life with her.

**A/N Yeah, a few more chapters and that's it. Though you might want to watch out for the sequel, Lone Wolf. Suggestions would be appreciated, though.**

**So long, and thanks for all the fish.**


	10. Jackson

**A/N This story will soon be coming to a close. I am halfway through chapter 11, and will be releasing it soon. When I have officially published the sequel, I will edit the last chapter and put the link for it in there. Of course, it'll probably be near the top of the Left 4 Dead archive, soooo...**

For a few hours, we just sit there. It's nice, and quiet. I could imagine a bunch of other places that would be more comfortable and peaceful, but this will suffice. Sylvia has fallen asleep, but because of all the talk about us leaving has me thinking.

What will happen to us? I have a feeling we know enough about how to fight the other Special Infected, but what about feeding ourselves? At the thought of Sylvia and I dying of starvation, my grip on her tightens. Thoughts speed through my mind, about the tons of different ways we could die. My breaths become heavier heavier, until I realize I'm actually sweating. I shut my eyes. I concentrate my breathing to be calmer. When I open my eyes, Sylvia's looking up at me. She looks worried.

"What's up?" She asks. I shake my head.

"Nothing. I'm just... worried." At this, she sits up.

"Worried about what?" She asks, both concern and curiosity in he voice. I don't want her to be worried about this. If I tell her, she'd probably dwell on it. Then she'd be even more stressed than me. I lean my head back against the dumpster.

"You shouldn't know. I don't want you to." I tell her. Her face clearly shows hurt. She breaks free of my grasp.

"You don't think I can handle what you're worried about?" She asks, pain clear in her voice.

"Sylvia-"

"No! I'm not some immature kid who can't handle this, you know! And I-!" I cut her off by putting my hand on her cheek. I still have the freezing effect.

"Sylvia, I don't think you're immature. I know you're mature, but you probably couldn't handle the things I am thinking of. I love you, Sylvia. I don't want you to end up being that stressed. I don't want you to be hurt." I bring her forehead to touch mine, and I close my eyes.

"Nathan..." Is all she manages to say.

"I think we should go inside." I say. She nods. I take my hand away from her face, and stand. I offer her my hand, and she takes it. I put my arm around her shoulder.

"Hunter!" Someone shouts from behind me. I turn my head, and gasp. Right behind us is Jackson, the Smoker. I push Sylvia forward, and she knocks on the door. I run forward after her, but Jackson's tongue wraps around me. It tightly wraps itself around my arm before violently yaning me backwards. I am flung to the ground. I land flat on my skull and my vision goes black. I hear the door slide open, and a gasp. The door slides shut again, and Jackson lets out a cackle.

"Your friends seem to have abandoned you. Like mine abandoned me." He says in a sinister tone. I feel a hand on the back of my neck which lifts me up.

"Why did you decide that becoming human was so important, Hunter?" He asks, furiously.

"My name is Nathan." I say quietly, and dangerously. I swing my leg, and feel it make contact with his side. He groans quickly in pain, allowing me to slip free of his grasp. I can see, but very poorly. Everything is just grey, and distorted. I make a run for the direction I think the door is in. Another slide of the door, and a figure comes out. I hear a few gunshots, and then silence. I trip and fall forward and onto the tile floor of the safe house. Footsteps approach me, and the door shuts.

"He got away." Romeo says. I groan, and try to rise before collapsing. I feel hands on my shoulders and the floor beneath me move. I look up to see Dixie setting up a table in the other room. I drop my head again, and feel myself lifted and thrown on the table. I begin to fade in and out of consciousness. A single lamp hangs above my head, and Michelle's head suddenly appears.

"Michelle..." I say weakly.

"Shh, don't talk. It'll take up too much of your energy." She tells me. Michelle wipes the hair out of my forehead. She winces at the site of my forehead. What's wrong with my forehead? Is it bad? She lifts my head, and examines the back. After a few moments of looking, she carefully places it back on the table. I turn my head and see her hand, a blood covered glove on it. Is that... Mine?

"No..." I moan.

"Romeo! Get me some stitches! Sylvia I need some cloths and some chloroform!" She barks. I sputter.

"Chloroform?" I shout, worriedly. She rests my head again.

"It's the only thing we have that'll prevent any pain. Now quiet, I need silence to do this. I don't want to mess up." She says reassuringly Sylvia and Romeo come into view, both with what Michelle had ordered to bring her. She takes the cloth and bottle from Sylvia, and pours the content of the bottle into the cloth. Michelle looks into my eyes.

"Now stay still. It'll only cause more pain if you squirm." She instructs. I nod, a throbbing in my head pulsing over and over. I close my eyes and wait for the cloth. A few seconds later, I feel it pressed against my mouth, and I resist the urge to fight back. I only remember one thing before I pass out:  
A muscle spasm and a scream.

**A/N I don't have much to say here. Just send in some ideas if you have any, and make sure if you do they're not in the form of reviews. Private messages only, to prevent spoilers or anything along those lines.**

**So long, and thanks for all the fish.**


	11. The Real Nathan

**A/N WOO! Finally uploaded. Sorry for the extremely late upload. I've been occupied with some stuff going on between my friends and I. That and my laptop is crapping out.**

Pain throbs throughout my entire body. From what? I don't know. I don't really care. Arms wrap around my shoulders and pull me across the floor. I groan and feel myself slipping in and out of conciousness. A stinging in my cheek wakes me.

"Don't sleep! You may have a concussion, and sleeping might be fatal!" David shouts. I look up to see Romeo and David dragging me towards a table Dixie and Sylvia are setting up. They lug me onto the table, and I'm flipped onto my back. A bright light shines above my head, making me squint. Suddenly, Michelle's face pops up and she examines my head.

"Good news or bad news?" She asks. I snicker.

"Well, I'd like to remain optimistic. Good news." I say sarcastically.

"You don't have a concussion. And the bad news-" She waves a glove covered in blood in front of my face. "You're bleeding so much this white table is now red." I groan.

"Great..." Michelle turns towards the others.

"I need chloroform, a rag and some bandages. Stat!" She demands.

"Chloroform?" I ask.

"Only thing we have strong enough to knock you out. If you're awake, it's gonna hurt like hell." She explains. I nod, still not comfortable with the idea of being involuntarily knocked out. She takes a rag and a bottle from someone and tips the bottles contents into the rag.

"Now hold on, this might sting a bit." She says, before bringing the rag onto my mouth. Before I am knocked out, I remember myself thrashing violently and a scream.

I awake a while later, my head pounding and my heart racing.

"What the hell..." I whisper, attempting to sit up. I the back of my head and feel a cut and some stitches.

"Ugh. You're awake!" A voice says to my right. I turn my head to see Sylvia sitting on a chair.

"I thought you were dead!" She jokes. A smile spreads across her face as she stands and walks to my side. I grin at her.

"Trust me, I was already there." I say. She giggles.

"You know, we're not actually dead. We're just Infected." She mocks.

"Ah, shut up!" I say, before grabbing her by her waist and pulling her down to lay on the table next to me. I bring my face down to hers and our lips meet. She smiles and playfully pushes me away.

"Yeah, no." She says, before leaning into my arm.

"Y'know, I feel like I'm changing." I say. She chuckles.

"Your eyes are green. Mine are grey. Our skin is brighter, and clearer. We are almost human." She beams. A sparkle in her eyes shows she's excited.

"Almost?" I ask, unsure.

"Yeah. Look at your hands. Claws. Look at your mouth. Fangs. Almost, human." She points out. I nod.

"Right. Claws and fangs. You know who also has those? Wolves. Bears. Tigers. Lions-"

"Okay. I get the point."

"You know what we all have in common? We're beasts. Feral, savage, monsters." I blurt out. She looks at me with a confused frown.

"What...?" She trails off and looks away from me. I sigh and rubs the bridge of my nose.

"Look. I'm sorry. I don't know where that came from. I guess I'm just not ready for this whole 'turning back' bussiness." I try to explain. Am I overwhelmed? Or do I not want to turn back? No. I do want to turn back. I made that clear when I defied my best friend, when I trusted a complete stranger who would've ended up torturing me, and when I chose not to kill Romeo, and Michelle, and Dixie. I am not Infected anymore. I am human. I may not have chosen it to be this way, but it happened nonetheless. And I am fortunate for it.

"Okay..." She mutters in response. I snap back into reality before I get too deep in my thoughts. I wrap and arm around her shoulder, and pull her in closer.

"Is there anything Michelle said I shouldn't do?" I ask her. She shrugs.

"She said you weren't to pick at your stitches, but other than that..." She begins to think.

"Nothing." She said. I turn her head to face mine and I kiss her forehead.

"I love you." I say. She smiles.

"And I love you." She helps me stand, and I lean on her for help out of the room. That's when I begin to think about everything. How had Jackson found us? Why does he hate us? Will he attack again? And then I remember something else. The scream before I was knocked out.

"Wait, what was that-" But before I'm able to ask the question the door is opened, and I see what caused the scream. Michelle, across the room has a huge gash running down her arm.

"Oh my god..." I mutter. Michelle looks at me and smiles. How can she smile? I ripped her arm open and she smiles at me? I shake the thought away while Sylvia helps me into a chair. David and Romeo are gone, and Dixie is passed out, drunk. I groan as I lean back into the chair. Sylvia sits down next to me.

"Hey!" Michelle calls to me from across the room. I look over at her.

"You and I keep getting hurt. We should be injury buddies!" She jokes. I laugh, and Sylvia giggles as she leans on my shoulder.

"Sure. Drink on it?" I offer. She nods. She reaches into her pack and pulls out two beers. She tosses me one, and I catch it before it smashes against the ground. I lean to the side and put the tip of the bottle and pop the cap off. I tip the alcohol into my mouth, and enjoy the taste for once. Michelle laughs.

"You like it this time?" She asks. I turn my head from side to side.

"Meh. It's not as bad as before." I tell her. She nods.

"Third times a charm!" She says, before drinking some of her beer.

"Third? This is my second beer." I say. She nods.

"Or is it?" She asks. I shrug.

"Possibly. I don't know if I've had beer before I was infected." I say. And then I feel the fun sucked out of the room. I sip my beer awkwardly and lean my head on Sylvia's. Without a sign, she takes the bottle out of my hands and takes a sip. Surprisingly, she hands it back to me without coughing.

"What was that?" I ask her.

"I'm thirsty." She says.

"For beer?"

"Yeah. Why not?" I shake my head. She's weird.

A few hours later, Romeo and David came back and everyone had decided that it would be best if we all slept. I can't get to sleep. Not tonight, for some reason. Sylvia had no trouble with it though. Romeo and David had brought supplies and were exhausted. Dixie was already passed out, and Michelle had fallen asleep easily. I stroke Sylvia's hair and close my eyes.  
_How's it going?_ Great. The goddamn voice.  
_Good. You?_ I respond sarcastically.  
_Don't play games, Hunter._ It demands.  
_Hunter? My name is Nathan._ I tell it.  
_No. My name is Nathan. You're Hunter._  
_Go to Hell._  
_You are not Nathan until you are human. You're a zombie, I'm a human._  
_Well, screw you. I guess my name is Huntathan than._ I remark.  
_Ha ha. That's something you'll hopefully lose when you become human. Your smartass wisdom._  
_Whatever. I'm going to sleep._  
_See you in dreamland, Hunter._ I grit my teeth. If I'm going to be human, I don't want to be that asshole.

**A/N So. There are four more chapters before I take a break. I need some OCs for the next story, so if you want to submit some OC, just message me and send me what they're personalities, looks, and weapons and other crap. So just message me if you've got any and I'll consider them. **

**So long, and thanks for all the fish.**


	12. A Memory

**A/N Hey! Look, this a late upload for me and I'd like to apologize. My original laptop completely crapped out, and I had to transfer all the files before it died for good. Then I had to come up with the funds to buy a new laptop, which is a Samsung Chromebook, and get used to it. Then when I got back to this, I had complete writer's block and was stuck trying to think of what should come next. But anyways, please read the next chapter and enjoy.**

I'm shaken awake and open my eyes to see a distressed Sylvia standing above me. She is frowning.

"Oh... What's wrong now?" I ask her. She shakes her head.

"Nothing. I'm just worried." She tells me. Of course, I think to myself.

"What's up?" I say.

"I've been thinking of what happens when we inevitably leave. What happens if we turn before we leave? We'll have to be taught how to use guns and stuff." She says. I nod.

"Yeah. If only we could keep our claws forever..." I say, looking away from her and across the room. I see Romeo in the other room working on something. He has a mask and a blow torch.

"What is Romeo doing?" I ask Sylvia. She shakes her head.

"I don't know. I haven't bothered to ask him." She says. What is he making? And where the hell did he get that stuff? I shake my head and put it back down to my mat.

"Now shoo shoo. I'm tired and require my beauty sleep." I say jokingly. She laughs and shoves me.

"No! Get up!" She pleads. I smile and cover my head with my arms and curl up.

"Okay, I'll have some food but then I'm going to go back to sleep." I say. I sit up and she hugs me.

"How enthusiastic..." I mutter to myself. She unwraps her arms from around me and stands. She lends me a hand and I rise. I walk over to the rations box and grab a box of cereal. I put it on a table and open it. I tip it back and let the contents fall into my mouth. I look over to see Sylvia giving me a disapproving look.

"What?" I ask, a mouthful of cheerios. She snickers and shakes her head. I put the box back down and look at Romeo. This time, he notices me looking and shuts the door.

"Wow. He's secretive." I say, before walking back to my mat and sitting down. Then I notice Dixie and David are missing.

"Wait, where are the other two?" I ask Sylvia.

"Outside. Dixie wanted to... talk, to him." Sylvia says. I nod uneasily.

"That can't go too well." I look up at Michelle who's peacefully and quietly asleep. I lean back against the wall, as Sylvia curls up against me. This brings back memories. Old memories. Back to a week after I'd met her, we were sitting in the sewers. She curled up into me and purred jokingly. Those were some weird days. I tilt my head against the wall, and close my eyes. My arm slides across Sylvia's shoulders. As I begin to fall asleep, the door slides open and there's lots of disruptful noises. Not zombies, or raiders. But three people. I open my eyes to see them. Dixie, David and... Jakob? I immediately stand.

"-Go to hell, Jakob!" Dixie shouts. The door Romeo is behind opens, and Romeo pulls his mask up.

"Bastard!" He calls. David shuts the front door as Romeo charges at Jakob.

"Are you stalking us out? Huh? How did you find us?" Romeo demands. Jakob looks up at him.

"No... The base fell after you... I heard survivors and thought they'd take me in! But it turns out it was you assholes!" Jakob taunts. Romeo punches him right in the face. Blood splatters against the floor like a kid playing with red paint.

"How did it fall, Jakob?"

"You killed all those guards, and they were brought back! Brought back from the dead to become undead! You caused the slaughter of many innocent people, Romeo! You and those... those things!" Jakob shouted, waving a finger at us. This time Romeo didn't get to be angry. He didn't get to throw a punch. I stopped him.

"What did you just call me?" I demand, my voice deeper than it's ever been. "What did you just call us?!" I rise up taller and taller, and I feel like he gets shorter and shorter. "I am not a thing! My name, is Nathan Helix! And you will not remember this day, for it will be your last!" Jakob cowers in fear. Even Romeo and David back off.

"You're a monster is what you are, Nathan! A feral beast!" Jakob retorts, trying to gain his height on me. Too bad those will ever be his last words. I raise my hand, and screech. Adrenaline and bloodlust run through my veins as I grab him by his collar and throw him at the door. He slides down it, revealing a massive dent. I slide the door open and kick him outside. He stares up at me, fear and sorrow in his eyes. And I don't feel human. I don't feel like this is the immoral thing to do. I pounce him and tear away at his flesh.

"I am no thing! I am no beast! I am no monster! I! Am! Human!"

_Hunter, stop it!_ I grab him by his neck and slam him into a brick wall.

Hunter! Stop this, now! I dig my claws into his neck, and grin maliciously.

_For Christ sakes Hunter! You are more than this! Stop!_ With my other claw, I cut his arm open, and blood drips down it. _Hunter._ _Let me take you somewhere._ And with that, I forget about everything with Jakob, and my mind completely blanks.

All I see is white. A white world. But then things start appearing. First, a path of grass, then a person. All around the path are trees and bushes. A forest. Another person appears, just a blob at first, but then both become clearly visible. They are on bikes. They pedal through the forest, talking to the other. _That boy on the blue bike is you, Hunter_. Suddenly, I am there. Not just viewing this from the sky, but with someone else. We follow behind the kids as though we are being pulled by them. I look at the other person, and see it is... me. Human me.

"Hello, Hunter." He says. I roll my eyes.

"For the last time, I am not Hunter! My name is-" But before I get to finish he hands me a mirror. I take it and look into it. I'm not as human as him. I am wearing my hoodies and those god awful shorts again. The hood covers my head, and I realize what he means.

"You are not yet Nathan. You will be soon. Anyways, back to the memory."

"Wait, wait, wait. Memory?"

"Yes, Hunter. Memory. This is a memory your infection blocks out. But, fortunately for you, I am here."

"Yeah, I'd hardly consider fortunately the right word for it." I snap. Nathan disregards the comment and turns back to the boys.

"As I said earlier, the boy on the blue bike is you." He tells me.

"Who's the other?" I ask him.

"You're friend, Jackson." I look at him in disbelief.

"You mean Smoker? We were friends before the infection?" I ask.

"Yes. Since the second grade, in fact." I nod. Huh. I would never have thought...

"Well, we were." I think to correct him, but realize he's right. He's Nathan. I am Hunter.

"But, you see. The two of us were always competitive. To dangerous lengths. Actually, it's more like to violent, lengths." I look at him.

"Violent?" I ask. He points to the younger version of him and Jackson.

"Just watch." He tells me. I look forward to see the two of them arguing.

"-I betchya I could jump the Backwash Gorge!" One of them said.

"No way! You're bluffing!" The other retorted.

"Wanna bet, pansie? I could totally jump it!"

"Yeah, after a few broken bones maybe!" They stopped.

"How about we make a bet?" Young Nathan proposes.

"I'm listening."

"Whoever doesn't wimp out attempting to cross the gorge, gets all the other's allowance money!" Jackson shakes his head.

"No! That's stupid! And besides, you don't even have any money!" He complains. Nathan smiles.

"Yeah? And? Who says I'll wimp out?" Nathan crosses his arms.

"I do!" Jackson shouts.

"Screw you!"

"No, screw you!" Jackson shoves Nathan.

"What the hell...?" I mutter.

"Go to hell!" Nathan says, turning to walk back to his bike. But Jackson blocks it.

"How 'bout you?"

"Jackson! I've had enough of this. I'm going home." Nathan says, trying to mount his bike again.

"I guess you're just a chicken, than!" Jackson makes wings with his arms and begins to imitate the noises of a chicken. Where did that stereotype even come from? Who says chickens aren't brave? I begin to think. My thoughts are broken as Nathan punches Jackson right in the face. My mouth hangs open.

"What the hell?" I say louder. Blood slowly drips down out of Jackson's nose.

"You ass! You might've broken my nose!" Jackson yells.

"Yeah, right! Would a chicken be able to do that?" Nathan mocks. With that comment, Jackson snaps and pounces Nathan in a matter all too familiar to me. I expect Nathan to push him off, stand up and ride his bike away. But he doesn't. Jackson holds him down and taunts him by saying stuff like: "Why don't you get up?" and "Too afraid to fight me?". And before I know it, the roles are reversed. And much more bloody. Nathan is now on top of Jackson, unleashing punch after punch into Jackson's face.

"That child before this was Nathan. That child is Hunter." The grown Nathan says next to me.

"So, I- or you, sorry- have two sides? One is me, and one is you?" I ask. Nathan nods. I shake my head. So confusing.

**A/N I don't feel like I should have this but, old habits die hard. There's only three chapters left until this portion of the story is over, though I'd like to write bonus chapters, which are either scenes that are told from someone else's POV or a backstory type thing. Anyways, I will try to update ASAP.**

**So long, and thanks for all the fish.**


	13. Burnie

**A/N Hey. Next chapter.**

I open my eyes to see I'm in a bus. I want to question it, but my life is confusing enough as is. Sylvia sits next to me, asleep. The bus is on, and moving through the city.

"Romeo?" I ask. I look at the other seats and see no one else. "Romeo?" Where art thou Romeo? My mind says. I grin as I rise and walk to the front of the bus. I look at the driver seat and see some random guy wearing a brown trench coat and cowboy hat. I draw my claws immediately. The man looks at my hand and smiles.

"Ya don' need them claws there." He says.

"Who the hell are you?"

"The name's Burnie. Burn fer short." He offers me his hands.

"Well, Burn, how'd we get here?" I demand. I am Hunter right now. I need to be Nathan. I clench my fists.

"Ya should ask yer girlfriend back there." He says, pointing to Sylvia.

"She's not my-!" Then I realize, she kind of is my girlfriend. "Whatever." I walk back to Sylvia, and lightly shake her awake. She mumbles something inaudible and opens her eyes.

"Oh. Hey, Nathan." She says. "You're awake."

"Yeah. I guess I am." I smile at her. She wraps her arm around my neck and brings herself up to me.

"What happened?" I ask her. She looks away from me.

"Well, after you nearly killed Jakob, some military officials showed up and began to shoot the place up. Romeo of course fought back with the others. You passed out though, and Romeo demanded I take you inside. I saw it though. Romeo of course was using his tomahawks and his remaining arrows, David had an assault rifle, Dixie had been using her magnum and Michelle was on crutches! She was shooting at soldiers on crutches! But... I knew we wouldn't survive if we stayed there so I snuck us out. While the firefight raged on, I managed to climb the building to see this bus. I hopped on and Burn told me he could drive us, so I took the offer." She explains.

"So what happened to Romeo and everybody?" I ask.

"I don't know. But if it's of any consolation, Jakob bled out."

"Good." Damn it, Hunter.

"Hey, y'all?" Burn asks.

"Yes?" I say.

"Y'all are them like, turners right?" He asks.

"Turners?" I ask.

"Yeah! Y'know like the zombies that turn?"

"Do you mean late immune?"

"Uh, is that the scientific term?"

"Yeah. It is." I roll my eyes and lean back into my seat.

"So y'all are, 'late immunes'?"

"Yes." I answer. He snickers and smacks the steering wheel once.

"Man! That is so cool!" He says to himself. "Say, you two know how that works?"

"How what works?" I narrow my eyes.

"Y'know, the whole turnin' business?"

"No. I don't think we do." I say.

"It's actually really cool!" He begins, "Y'see, the immunity inside of ya doesn't kick in 'til durin' the infection, and when it does, it usually takes, like, a year! But when showed human interactions and exposure to human emotions, and human experiences, it's sped up. It can take like, a few weeks!" He exclaims. I look at Sylvia.

"Well, I guess that explains it." I say. She nods.

"Explains what now?"

"We met just a few weeks ago and we've seen some... changes, between the both of us." I explain.

"Oh. Ah guess that makes sense." He says. I roll my eyes and slump back into the seat. The bus windows are almost completely smashed, and boarded up with planks of wood. The bus reeks of blood and motor oil, but the motor oil isn't as bad as the blood, which I'm used to the scent of.

"Say, now. Ah could take y'all ta this place. It's called like, Haven or somethin'! Apparently it's a survivor run base, so if y'all go there ya'd be accepted regardless of being zombie or not. It ain't run by CEDA." He says.

"Sure. Why not?" I say.

Hours pass, and Sylvia and I have managed to do nothing but make idle chit chat. I know that they're probably dead. Sylvia has to realize that too. I mean, the way they she described it to me makes it seem like the odds were one hundred to one, with our friends being the one. I can hope for them to be safe, but I also have to be logical in these times. And logic tells me they're probably dead. Or wounded. Or captured. But the single thing I hope for, is they're not safe and clueless to our whereabouts. I couldn't put them under that-

Wait, they put us under that 'stress'! We're sitting in a bus with a redneck we're supposed to assume is leading us to safety, completely in the hands of fate, sitting and wondering if our friends are or aren't alive.

"Jesus, Burn! Are we almost to 'safety', yet?" I ask, clearly frustrated.

"Naw, Ah'm sorry. But... Now that Ah think 'bout it, Ah don't think the 'haven', as it's been called over the CEDA newsline is all that safe..." He trails off.

"Oh? And why not?" I ask.

"Well, if y'all'd look out the window to yer left, ya'd see that the safe haven is now overrun with buttloads of zombies!" What little colour I have in my cheeks leaves my face, as I look out the window. A fenced in area, with all the fences tipped over, is now fill of zombies. Not just regular zombies, but Chargers, Smokers, Boomers, and... Hunters. Now, I doubt that I am human nowadays, saying that I still am a Hunter, and nowhere near turning but seeing my brethren makes me realize... They aren't my brethren. Absolutely no colour is in their bodies, and while I may have only small amounts of blood that makes my skin at least a bit lighter than grey, these Hunters are completely grey. I look at my hand and realize that compared to them, I'm well on my way to being human. My skin must be almost a peach colour. As we continue to pass it, I see a Witch as well. I only catch a small glimpse of her, but I do see a Hunter approach her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Oh my god..." I mutter.

"Did you see that, Nathan?" Sylvia asks me, smiling. Most people wouldn't smile at the sight of possibly thousands of zombies, but she makes me do so as well.

Our smile only lasts a few seconds as a Tank flips the bus over.

**A/N Hey, guys. Sorry this is bit late. I've had a bit of writer's block, but I've gotten past it with this scene. That and (I'm not sure if I've already mentioned this) I have a school writing project that must be done. I have finished the first draft, and took a break by writing this. In the Summer, you should be expecting more for a while. I am going on vacation for like, two weeks so that is the only down time. But other than that, expect more of this story in the future!**

**So long, and no thanks, but I'll have the fish.**

**Fun Fact: Jakob's name is not pronounced Jacob, but instead Yacob, because he is of Mexican descent. **


	14. The Horde

Fire burns heavily. Smoke fills my lungs. I look around and blink a few times. The bus is on fire, and a dead Tank lays on the ground next to what appears to be Burnie.

"Hey! Turners, get up!" He calls to us. I shake my head and sputter.

"Sylvia!" I yell. A pair of arms wraps around me and lifts me up.

"It's okay, I'm right here!" She says to me. I wipe the smoke out of my eyes and look around. Burn fires his shotgun off in every direction. Hordes among Hordes of common Infected charge towards us. I shake my head. I pull my hood over my head, crouch and bare my claws. But there is nothing there. I look at my hands, and gasp. I have no claws! Where the hell are my claws?

"Uh, Sylvia?" I ask, looking at her. She shakes her head.

"I know!" She exclaims.

"Oh no! No, no no no no no no!" Burn panics. I turn my head to see common swarming him like crazy. And then I smell it. Boomer bile. I turn towards the scent. It's on the bus. Or at least, what remains of the bus.

"Sylvia, come with me!" I order. She nods and watches the common running amok. I sprint aboard the bus and look frantically. Boomer bile attracts common infected. There are tons of them outside.

"Stay right here!" I point to an empty seat, and she sits in it. I rummage through the seats, hoping to find the vomit. The only time I think a Boomer is going to help... Two seats from the back of the bus, I run my hand along the floor and it lands on a cylindrical container. I lift it from under the seat and find it's what I'm looking for: Boomer Bile. I stand and sprint out of the bus, and see Burn backing up more and more into the bus.

"Some help would be kindly appreaciated!" He demands.

"Here." I hand him the Bile. "This help enough?" He looks at the bottle for a second and runs his hand across the label.

"It's sure does!" He says. He hands me his shotgun and walks forward a bit, ready to through the container.

"Yeah, suck it, noobs!" He yells before throwing it into the crowd of undead. The glass shatters a distance away, and at least a quarter of the Infected are interested.

"Not the outcome Ah'd hoped for, but..." Burn mutters. I toss him his shotgun, and he catches it.

"Now, underneath mah seat should be a revolver!" He tells me. I nod and climb the bus again. I search around under his seat and find a gun. I bring it out and inspect it's smooth silverish colour. Almost instinctively, I bring out the barrel and find it completely loaded. Before I do anything more, I search some more for an ammo box. Suddenly, a pain bursts in my back. I scream, before turning and seeing another Hunter behind me. The same one that was flirting with the Witch. I expect it to pounce me, but it doesn't. It just points out of the bus at something. I don't look out the bus just yet, I examine his face. He seems... Gloomy. No smile spreads across his face as to be expected. Not even a hint of happiness. Was I like this? Was I so bland, and sinister? Well, if I was... I'm definitely a changed person. I feel my back, and find it's just a small cut. He's Infected, he must not know any better. I hop up and look out the bus, completely aware of the massing horde. I look to where the Hunter pointed and see the Witch this Hunter was with.

It's dead. A pool of blood surrounds her lifeless corpse. I understand why this guy is sad. He lost his girl. But I didn't. I look into the bus at Sylvia and smile.

"This sucks." I whipser to myself. I turn to the Hunter and raise my revolver. He looks at me, surprised.

"Listen, man. If you are a late immune, it's going to take you quite a while... and I can't risk you following me to take her." I look back at Sylvia for a second before pulling the trigger. The gunshot echoes through the buildings, and the Hunter falls dead. I don't feel shame, or remorse. I only feel pride. I've stood my ground, proved how far I'd go for her, and I've almost nothing left to prove to anyone.

****Except for my humanity.

**A/N Intense chapter, eh? Nathan is going a bit overboard here, trying to prove and defend Sylvia against anything. Yeah, this was the second last chapter. Chapter 15, and then this story is finished.**

**So long, and thanks for all the fish. **


	15. End of the Road

Sylvia looks at me in shock, but shakes her head and rushes out of the bus towards me.

"What the hell was that?" She demands. Before I can answer, Burnie screams. We look over to see a common biting his arm. I raise my revolver and shoot it in the side of the head. It falls dead, but not before ripping a large chunk out of his arm. Seeing Burn on the ground, they charge towards me. There's a single flash of light, and then they're fleeing. My head pounds, and I collapse.

"What was that flash?" I ask. I look up at Sylvia.

"Flash? Th-there was no flash! There was just a... Screech. From you." Sylvia says, backing up a bit. "No Hunter can make that noise, Nathan! It was... Not... You." She backs up into the wreckage of the bus, gripping it's burning metal. I get to my knees and approach her.

"Then who was it?" I demand.

"It was you! It just wasn't at the same time..." She looks at the ground, panicked and scared. She's scared. Of me. I blink a few times, and realize things where just too red a minute ago. Normal colour has returned. She slumps down to the ground and cradles into a ball. I rush to her side and try to wrap my arms around her. She swats it away, and begins to sob.

"G-go away!" She cries. She puts her hand on my chest and pushes me backwards. My mouth gapes open. What am I? After that incident, I don't know what I am. I am definitely not human. And judging by the fact that I have no claws, and my skin isn't grey, I'd say I'm not Infected either. I look away from her and see Burnie groaning in pain. I stand and walk towards him. The common lays dead next to him, and blood spills across the ground. This poor, innocent hill billy is dying. I kneel next to him and look him in the eyes.

"N-nate just k-kill me... Take th-that gun and b-blow mah brains out!" He takes the gun from my pocket and puts it in his mouth.

"No!" But my scream, and reaching for the handle of the gun is too late. He's gone. The gunshot echoes throughout the entire city. Or as it seems to me. I grit my teeth. He died because of me. Because of my irrational decisions. I am so stupid.

"You'd be better off without me." I say to no one. A hand lands on my arm.

"No. I wouldn't." Sylvia says. "I still need you, Nathan. Despite the decisions either of us have made, I need you. And you need me. We're each other's savoirs. And I can't thank you enough for turning me into what I am. Human." I place my hand on hers.

"And the same goes for you."

We leave the city almost immediately. Too many haunting memories of friends who are now probably dead, adventures better saved for someone else, and a life not meant to be lived. Even though we flee the city and it's sorrows and stick to the countryside and it's empty safety, I still feel like, late at night, when I'm still awake, watching the stars, that I'm being watched by undead eyes. I don't know who it is watching me, whether it be the Infected version of our friends, or some random Infected stalking us like Jackson. I don't care for now. I'll deal with it when the time comes. Everything is fine until we reach the next city. Judging by our luck, the military closed it off a few days after our arrival. Probably a containment protocol, but we can't be too safe. So we

stick to one rooftop, right next to a bridge.

My life has no plan, and no goals but one: protect Sylvia at all costs.

**A/N Hey. This is the end. Nathan and Sylvia are out of the city, and making their way to god knows where. But any ways as I said I might do a sequel, but for now I plan on publishing other stuff. But before I do that, I'd like to thank those who have reviewed, favourited, and followed this story. I probably would've scrapped this story if it weren't for you guys. So make sure to check for the sequel (if there is one) and carry on.**

**So long for good, and thanks for all the metaphorical fish that I never received. Ever.**

**EDIT: Hey! I'd like to let everybody know, I have published another story, but I've already begun the sequel to Humanity titled "Insanity". Yeah, it's gonna be one of those series.**


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